Game apparatus.



M. L. HAWKS.

GAME APPARATUS. I APPLlcAHoN FILED JAN. 7. |915.

mm nto@ Wfm 9m z Mosns L. Hawks, or Niiwfroair, N. Y.

GAME APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 20, 1917.

Application filed January 7, 1915. Serial No. 900.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that 1, Moses L. Hawks, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in l(lame Apparatus. of which the following is a specilication.

This invention relates to game apparatus.

One object of the present invention is to provide an attractive game which may be played with a ball and cue or mallet upon a table or platform, which game is to bear more attraction to both the young and old than the ordinary game of billiards or'pool.

Aanother object is to j irovide a. game of this character in which the ball impinges a rotary element, the movement of which scores the points in the game.

A still further object is to provide an attachment bearing therotary element which can be readily attached to billiard or pool tables now in use.

The various further objects and advantages will more fully appear from the detailed description and the features of novelty consisting in the mode of construction and combination of parts will be particularly pointed out in the claims.

1n the drawing illustrating this invention,

Figure 1. is a plan view of the improved game apparatus.

Fig. Q is a section taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

The game is designed to be played upon a table similar to a billiard table. This table may be complete with legs, etc., like an ordinary billiard table, or it may consist merely of al platform having the rails and cushions which platform may be placed upon an ordinary table in a home or elsewhere. Upon this table or platform is mounted a bar or other support carrying a rotary frame which has a number of radial arms. The-se arms have at their extremities, balls or other elements suitable for striking. A cue or mallet ball is used by each player with the object of hitting one of the balls upon the frame so as to rotate the latter to a position of scoring.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the table or platform is formed with a bed 10 which may be covered with any suitable covering such as felt, rubber, or thelike, 11. At the marginal edges of the platform are disposed the rails 12 carrying the cushions 13. Preferably, 1 form the cushions as described and claimed in my co-pending application Ser. No. 846,724. However, any other form of cushion will do sov far as the operation of the present game is concerned. Suitable means for leveling the platform such as screws 1Llmay be disposed at the corners of the platform.

The rotary element consists of a frame having radial arms 15, preferably three in number, extending from a hub 1G. The latter is mounted upon a support consisting preferably of a bar 17 straddling the table or platform. -The bar can be readily attached and detached to and from the rails by means of screws 18 threaded into the rails substantially the mid-length thereof. These screws engage the bars through slots 19 formed adjacent their extremities. Attached to the extremities of the arms 15 are impingeable elements consisting of balls 20, one of which 20 is of a different color from the others. These balls just clear the table, so that the frame may rotate freely about its axis in the support 17. The balls 2O are to be struck by a cue or mallet ball 21, causing the frame to rotate and thus shifting the position of the ball 20a. Below the balls 2O is formed a circular scale having the scoring spaces c', a2, a3, o" and c5 and the blank spaces b., b2, etc. Thus, when the ball 21 is struck by the cue and one of the balls 2O on the rotary frame is struck, the latter turns until the colored ball 20a comes to rest over either a scoring space or a blank space. 1f the ball 20 is disposed for its full width over a scoring space, the player scores the number of points corresponding to that space, thus, at a', he would score one point, at o2, two points, and so on. However, if the ball 2021 is entirely or partly over a blank space, the player does not score and loses his turn for the next shot to his opponent.

To make the game more interesting, the scoring spaces are wider than the blank spaces by the width of one ball which makes it seem very easy to score. However, the chances are nearly even as will be readily understood when it is borne in mind that the ball must be for its entire width over a scoring space in order to count.

1f desired, this game can be played as a' carom game, thus making the game more interesting for an accomplished player. However, an ordinary amateur may, if desired, play directly at the balls 20. For scoring the points in the game, I preferably icq provide a number of holes 22, one series of which counting in one direction may be used to indicate units and another series counting in the opposite direction may be used to indicate the tens. Into these holes a peg or other form of index may be inserted and the peg is shifted to the proper registering position as each additional point is scored. In Fig. 1, I have illustrated the scoring device as adapted for four players, a set of holes being formed in each rail of the table.

It will be noted lthat the bar 17 together with the rotary frame may be readily detached from the table, thus making` it possible to attach this device to an existing billiard or pool table Without requiring any further alteration than painting or stenciling the scale upon the table and inserting the screws which fasten the bar to the rails.

It will be understood that various modifications may be resorted to Without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

l. A game apparatus comprising a rotary frame, ballsca-rried by said frame, one of which, the scoring ball, is suitably differentiated from all the rest, said balls being adapted to be impinged by a cue or mallet ball, and a circular scale divided into scoring spaces and blank spaces adapted to be disposed beneath the revolving balls, so as to indicate the points scored.

2. The combination with a platform having a rectangular bed over which the cue or mallet ball may roll, rails and cushions disposed at the marginal edges of the platform,

of a readily detachable support straddling the platform, a hub rotatably mounted on the support, arms radiating from the hub, and balls carried by the arms out of contact with the bed, one of which, the scoring ball, is of a color different from all the rest, said balls being adapted to be impinged by the cue or mallet ball and a circular scale divided into scoring spaces and blank spaces for indicating the points scored.

A game apparatus, comprising a detachable support, a rotary fi'ame mounted on the support, said frame comprising a hub and arms radiating from the hub7 a scoring ball carried by one of these arms, balls different from said scoring ball carried by the remaining arms, a cue or mallet ball to impinge on said balls, and a circular scale having scoring spaces and blank spaces for indicating the points scored by the position of rest of the scoring ball over said scale after impingement by the cue or mallet ball.

4. A quick detachable attachment for standard billiard tables comprising a bar having slots at the extremities thereof adapted to engage fastening pins on the rails of the table, a rotary frame carried by the bar, said frame comprising` radial arms, and an impingeable element carried by the arms and a circular scoring scale adapted to be applied to the face of the billiard table beneath the revolving balls. Y

Signed at New York city, in the county of New York, and State of New York, this 241th day of Dec. A. D. 1914.

MOSES L. HAIVKS.

Witnesses:

IVM. I. COHEN, MINNIE S. MILLER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of 'I atents` Washington, D. C. 

